What to Expect on Capture Day

Capture day is usually the easy part — for you, at least. Here's how it goes so there are no surprises.

Before we arrive

1. We confirm the plan. We'll have already agreed on the area to map, the deliverables, and a date. We handle any FAA airspace authorization (LAANC) ahead of time.
2. We watch the weather. Photogrammetry likes steady light and low wind. If conditions won't produce a clean result, we'd rather reschedule than fly a flight that disappoints. We'll stay in touch if the forecast is marginal.
3. You line up access. Gate codes, a ground contact, and a heads-up to anyone on site (see How to Prep Your Site).

While we're on site

1. A quick site check. We confirm the boundaries we're capturing, note any hazards (wires, towers, active operations), and pick safe takeoff and landing spots.
2. Ground control, if your package includes it. For engineering-grade accuracy we place marker targets and record their exact positions with centimeter-grade RTK GPS. Some are used to lock the map's position; others are held back as independent 'check points' to grade the final accuracy. (This is what turns a good-looking map into a provably accurate one.)
3. The drone flies its pattern. For a flat 2D map it flies a grid. For 3D it adds angled passes so the sides of buildings, piles, and terrain are captured, not just the tops. It's methodical and mostly quiet. You do not need to follow it around.
4. Ground-View 360, if included. For eye-level panoramas we walk the trails, midways, or structures with a 360° camera. That's the part that lets you later 'stand' anywhere and look around.

How long does it take? Most properties are a few hours on site. Very large or multi-parcel sites, or sites that need several capture types, can run longer or span more than one visit. We'll give you a realistic window when we schedule.

Do you need to be there?

Usually no. Many clients just leave a gate open and a phone number. If your site has active operations, guests, or restricted areas, having a contact reachable helps us move quickly and safely.

Special case: venues, parks, and busy sites

Flying directly over crowds is restricted, so for guest-facing venues we schedule around closed or low-crowd windows — fully-closed hours or early-morning before guests arrive. If you have vendor requirements (a certificate of insurance, badging, a safety orientation, or an escort), tell us up front and we'll come prepared.

After we pack up

1. Processing. Your imagery goes into our software to become the finished maps and models. This is the longest stretch, and it happens off-site.
2. Quality review. We check the outputs before anything reaches you.
3. Delivery. Your private browser viewer goes live and we send you the link. Standard turnaround is about 3–5 business days after the flight. Rush delivery is available if you have a hard deadline.

You can follow your project's status the whole way — it moves through Flight Scheduled → Flight Complete → Processing → QA Review → Delivered.

Tip: If you already know you'll want this on a schedule (monthly stockpile counts, quarterly progress records), mention it on capture day. Setting up recurring monitoring from the start keeps every flight consistent and comparable. See Re-Flights & Recurring Monitoring.

Tip: Golden hour looks gorgeous but flat, even light in the middle of the day usually produces the cleanest, shadow-free map. Trust our call on timing — it's about data quality, not just pretty pictures.